Nzamwita is new Ferwafa boss

Intare Football Club candidate Vincent ‘Degaule’ Nzamwita was yesterday voted the new Rwanda Football Association (Ferwafa) boss.In an election held at the federation headquarters in Remera, the former APR FC secretary-general beat five other contenders, among them incumbent Celestin ‘Abega’ Ntagungira.Nzamwita will now be at the helm of the embattled federation – one of the sports federations which failed to get legal status by New Year’s Day, effectively losing any form of support from Government and the National Olympic Committee – for the next four years.Nzamwita garnered 19 votes out of 37 total votes cast, six more than Rayon Sports candidate Ntagungira, who collected 13 votes. Sec Academy’s Augustin Munyandamutsa got three votes, while outgoing Ferwafa vice president Raoul Gisanura Ngenzi (from Gasabo FC) and Unit FC’s Jean Mbanda scrapped a paltry one vote each.Following a peaceful poll and announcement of the results, the new Ferwafa president Nzamwita, said: “I intend to make positive changes in the way our football issues are managed, we need to build strong football leadership for the good of our game and our teams.”Ntagungira had been at the helm of Ferwafa for the last two years – albeit in acting capacity – following the surprise resignation of Gen. Jean Bosco Kazura.Gen. Kazura had taken over from Gen. Caesar Kayizari. Nzamwita will look to draw inspiration from Kayizari, who led Rwanda’s Amavubi to their maiden and only Africa Nations Cup finals – in 2004 in Tunisia.There was also relative success under Kazura’s administration during which time Rwanda’s U-17 side emerged first-runners-up on the continent en route to taking part in the 2011 Fifa finals held in Mexico where they put up a decent show.The country’s football however has had a nosedive over the last couple of years, with dismal performances, especially at the senior level particularly in continental and Fifa World Cup qualifiers.Other postsEtincelles FC chairman Vedaste Kayiranga was elected the vice president,Appolinaire Mpirikanyi from ARAF the head of Finance, while Patrick Rubega Kagabo (Pepinierre) was elected head of Communication and Marketing Department.AS Kigali’s Albert Mwanafunzi will head Competitions, while AlbertKayiranga from University of Rwanda is head of the Technical department; youth football commission went to Maurice Munyandamutsa, from ASPOR; Felicite Rwemalika returned as head of women football commission, with Felicien Bandora taking the Disciplinary Commission.Also elected were Emmanuel Ndagijimana (head, Legal commission) and Moussa Hakizimana (head, Medical commission). ------------------------------------------ Vincent Nzamwita’s brief profile|Date of birth: March 3, 1969 Place of birth: Rubavu (Gisenyi) Marital status: Married with two kidsHobbies: Likes sports and reading in his free time*Played amateur football in South Kivu, South Africa